Turning Point
by l0lip0ps
Summary: Hermione is faced with a dilemma, to flee or to fight? With a blackmailer in tow, Hermione is forced to work alongside her greatest rival, Draco Malfoy. Please Read and Review!


**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters or settings you recognise from the Harry Potter series, the brilliant J.K. Rowling does. I own only the plotline.

**A/N:** It's me again and yes I have started a new story being fully aware that my previous story has not been updated for god knows how long. I may or may not update The Wonders of Life in the near future seeing as I am not as free as I was before. Yes, I know it's sad. Anyway I hope you guys like this story, this chapter is basically just an intro and is extremely short (didn't want to bore you guys) so please bear with me.

Not sure when my next chapter will go up, hopefully within the coming week.

Anyway, now on with the story!

**Chapter One**

**Hopeless and Helpless**

Hermione Granger woke up to the sound of rain gently pelting against her lounge room window. She lifted her head and then let it flop back down onto the arm of her sofa when she felt the pain shoot through her neck. Thanks to the misshapen edges of the sofa, Hermione now has a stiff neck. She lay there face first on the couch, her bushy brown hair flailing around her, bearing a stiff neck she continued listening to the taunting sounds the world around her made. One could question the reasons as to why the brightest woman of her age, whether she be muggle or magical, was currently in such a vulnerable state? Could it be that she was simply physically tired or was there more to the worn out form of _the _Hermione Granger?

She picked herself up from the sofa and walked towards the window which held the beauty of the fog covered, deserted land which engulfed the small, veiled cottage house. The cottage is situated near lush forests which are now nothing but a blur of blackness in the background; the rain taking full control. She stared at her reflection, she watched as the sides of her lips lifted into a weak smile as she recalled the forests of Hogwarts that she was so accustomed to. It felt as if it were decades ago when Hermione Granger possessed the ability to solve problems, the days where she had that ever glowing gleam in her eyes that indicated her thirst for knowledge. That greed is now non existent. It had perished within Hogwarts and the years that closely followed life after graduation.

Her parents had both passed away due to muggle illnesses that were neglected. It was during this period that Hermione was at her strongest, working and using her intellect to help bring down the Dark Lord once and for all. Voldemort was in full control a few years after her graduation and the magical world was torn apart. Wizards and witches from the light side were trying their hardest to end the war and rid the world from Voldemort and his followers. Although Hermione did not divulge too much information about the happenings in the magical world to her parents, she felt it their right to know what their daughter was dealing with. Her parents understood that Hermione was battling with forces of evil and being good natured thought that their sickness would be too much to handle for their young witch. Regardless of the fact that Hermione's parents knew of the dangers and risks involved in allowing their daughter to fight against this 'Lord Voldy' that they occasionally heard of, they had never told her to stop what she was fighting for. Her parents, to some extent grasped the importance of fighting against discrimination in the magical world, which sounded to them like common prejudices and judgements made in muggle society maybe concerning people of darker skin complexion to those of a lighter skin tone.

Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, both of these names have been connected to the downfall of the vilest villain in the history of both the muggle and magical worlds; Lord Voldemort. After five years on from the conclusion of the war, the boys are still travelling the world and informing people of all ages of what they went through when the war was in full blow.

Now, now, I know what you are thinking. Wasn't Hermione Granger part and parcel of the Golden Trio? Was it not the issue of 'the three musketeers' when people spoke of the two brave wizards and the quick witted witch? Regardless of one member of the trio being a female, they were still held high in the magical society whether it was the light side applauding them or the dark side seeking revenge. However, this leaves no reason for the spinal cord of the trio to be left alone, in a cottage on the outskirts of an unplottable suburb whilst the two men tour the world and share their experiences with the world.

Aaah…but wait, it is not as it seems. It may appear like Hermione Granger was left in the cold cottage by force or influence but one should remember that Miss Granger although not nearly as persistent as before is still very deceptive when it comes to having her way with issues concerning the spreading of knowledge. Hermione actually opposed to the idea of travelling right then. Hermione _wanted _to seek refuge in the house that she now goes to the extent of calling home. This house held and witnessed many of the crucial standpoints in Hermione's life. It is here that her life went from a war hero to the victim bearing scars that rekindled sour memories of her past. It amazed her how a place can hold so many warm memories yet still cause her a great deal of misery which then reminded her of the mistakes she had executed previously which may be the reason as to why she was now dealing with this predicament. Yes, Hermione Granger is after all human and although her intelligence could be compared to that of Albus Dumbledore she is permitted to make mistakes much like Dumbledore himself. Unfortunately, errors that she had made have lead Hermione to seek a source of enclosure whether it be permanent or temporary depended on how she accepted and dealt with what she was now faced with; a dilemma.

So she was faced with a dilemma, but has she not dealt with problems of more dangerous nature? The question really was, was Hermione Granger going to fight or do the unthinkable and flee? She shut her eyes for a moment as she felt an uneasy lurch in her stomach. Could it be that she was merely deprived of food the night before and therefore light headed or could it be of a more voluminous reason? The answer became obvious as the pitter patter of her feet came to a crashing end and the sound of belching was heard from the bathroom.

She got up from the floor, washed her mouth and briskly walked towards her front door, opened it and then sprinted out into the rain. Her grey pants and jumper becoming instantly drenched as the cold September wind mixed with the drops of rain hit her pale face. She dropped down to her knees and sat there on the damp, grass covered floor.

It was then that she decided that she had to move on. She had to move on with her life, if not for her then at least for the life relying on her well being. However sick and fed up she felt, both physically and emotionally Hermione Granger did not let the tears fall. She had made up her mind and that was that. No one was going to stop her from retrieving her old self. She was going to become the courageous being that she once was, the one who brought hope and laughter to even the most miserable situations. She was going to fight whoever blocked her path to becoming that person again. Even the blackmailer who had been troubling her for the past half year. She would somehow also fight him. She had realised that there soon will be an individual, who will be depending on her and then later, gradually looking up to her.

The woman who had survived and dealt with circumstances that hardly anyone can even _dream _of, slowly yet steadily walked back into her cottage. Hermione had made her decision; she was going to fight.

**A/N: **Hope you enjoyed! Please review.


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